As a reminder to fans, game time Saturday is 4 p.m. The tipoff was moved for television.
ATLANTA-Winners of 10 straight at home, Georgia State will put its streak on the line against last season's Final Four surprise VCU Saturday at 4 p.m. in the Sports Arena. The game will be televised live on CSS as part of an exciting day of events on campus.
The Panthers' streak is the second longest in school history, only surpassed by a 25-game home court winning streak between 2000 and 2002 under former head coach Charles "Lefty" Driesell.
Georgia State (14-7, 6-4 CAA) remains in the chase for a top four seed and bye in the first round of the CAA Championship with eight conference games to play.
VCU (17-5, 8-2 CAA) has won six in a row after an impressive 25-point victory at Towson on Wednesday. The Rams have held their last three opponents to 50 points or less.
The game can be heard live on WRAS-FM 88.5 beginning at 3:30 p.m. with the Panther Pregame Show. Live stats and live video are available at GeorgiaStateSports.com.
Saturday also marks the third annual Great Baby Race that will take place at halftime of the game. Eight babies will compete for great prizes. After the game, the second annual Penny Pick-up will take place on the court. Children 12 and younger will be invited to come onto the Sports Arena floor pick up as many pennies as possible, with 50,000 pennies up for grabs.
A pre-game event for PAC donors of the $100 level and higher is also set for Saturday starting an hour before the Panthers tip. Donors can meet, network and enjoy food and beverages in the PAC Lounge on the third floor of the GSU Sports Arena.
Finally, a pre-game pep rally will be hosted by President Mark Becker in Urban Life plaza beginning at 2 p.m. Fans are encouraged to stop by for free food, games and prizes.
Georgia State is looking to sweep the season series with VCU after scoring a 55-53 victory in Richmond, Va. earlier this month. The Panthers built a nine-point second half lead and held on to secure their first victory at the Siegel Center since joining the CAA.
The Panthers want to rebound from a tough 68-46 loss at Drexel on Wednesday. Redshirt-senior Jihad Ali led the Panthers with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, but State was held nearly 10 minutes at the start of the second half without a basket.
"After our performance on Wednesday night, our team is looking forward to getting back out on the court," commented head coach Ron Hunter. "We know that we are a better team than the way we played and sometimes the best way to get a bad taste out of your mouth is to get right back out on the court.
"Our team was able to get some rest and I think the home crowd is going to be able to give us a lot of energy. Whether our fans know it or not, they can provide us with a lot of energy and I know they give us a great home court advantage on Saturday."
Senior Eric Buckner blocked five more shots on Wednesday and inched closer to both the single season and career blocks list. In just his second season, Buckner is just nine blocks shy of becoming the school's all-time blocks leader. He is also just 11 blocks off the single season mark held by Sylvester Morgan.
James Fields, who was named to the Bob Cousy Award Watch List earlier this season, is having a career-best season, averaging 10.1 points and 3.3 assists per game, the seventh most in the CAA. Fields is third in the CAA with a 1.6 assist/turnover ratio and third in steals, averaging 2.1 per game.
Senior Josh Micheaux also continues to quietly have a stellar final year. He earned his first double-double of the season on Monday, scoring 15 points and pulling down 11 rebounds, while dishing out six assists.
He is averaging 7.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, dishing out 67 assists, the most on the team. He is averaging the sixth most rebounds in the CAA.
Nationally, Georgia State is ranked 16th in the NCAA in scoring defense, allowing just 58.6 points per game. The Panthers are also ranked ninth in field goal defense, sixth in steals with 10.0 per game and 37th in blocks, averaging 5.0 per contest.
Georgia State is also not turning the ball over, currently having a plus-4.40 turnover margin, 12th best in the NCAA, committing just 12.1 turnovers per game, the 44th best mark in the country.
Bradford Burgess leads the Rams, averaging 12.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Burgess is one of six VCU players averaging 7.0 points or more per game. Darius Theus leads VCU and the CAA in assists, dishing out 4.8 per game.
Within the CAA, Georgia State stands in the top two in scoring offense, scoring margin, field goal percentage defense, blocked shots, steals, turnover margin and assist/turnover ratio.
Sophomore Devonta White is 16th in the CAA in scoring, averaging 12.1 points per game, while dishing out 3.1 assists, the 10th best total in the conference. He is also shooting well at the free throw line, knocking down 80.0 percent of his shots, the fifth best rate in the league.
Redshirt-senior Jihad Ali is putting together a fine senior season, being used as both a starter and reserve. The Lithonia native leads the team and is 15th in the CAA in scoring, averaging 12.2 points per game. Ali is also 14th in the CAA in rebounding, pulling down 5.6 boards per contest.
Georgia State will return to the road for a pair of games next week. The Panthers will face UNCW on Wednesday in Wilmington, N.C., before traveling to New York to face Hofstra on Saturday.
Fans can visit GeorgiaStateSports.com or call 1-866-GA-STATE to purchase tickets for the game or for tickets for the Panthers remaining five home games.
www.GeorgiaStateSports.com
